The New Kid
by peanutfreak
Summary: Ivan Braginsky moved in from Russia partway through tenth grade. Everyone is interested in the foreign boy, but Ivan is mostly just interested in his classmate Yao Wang. Rated K plus for language currently but the rating may change!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Warning, gay bashing and other bullying? Is that something you're supposed to put a warning on? Well better safe than sorry. The rating may change depending on the progression of this story, but I'll be sure to add a note about it too if a chapter is more than K+ :)**

Whether they were just trying to catch him in their peripheral vision, peeping from behind a book, or just full on staring; everyone had their eye on the new kid when he walked into the cafeteria. Everybody was intrigued by Ivan, the new sophomore who had moved from Russia mid-semester. Lots of girls were trying to look cute, hoping he'd decide to sit next to them.

Ivan certainly felt out of place; not only was he new, and from another country, but he was also tall, blond, and violet-eyed, so he was easy to pick out. While trying to find somewhere to sit, Ivan bumped into Yao, a short, skinny Asian boy with long hair.

"Oh! I am so sorry—hey, you are really cute..." Ivan remarked, and laughter spread through all of the tables in earshot.

"See! Everyone knows you're a girl Yao!"

"Get a haircut, Asian fagot!"

With similar insults coming from all over, Yao ran out of the cafeteria. Ivan set down his food and followed him.

"Hey! Wait up!" Ivan called after him; he ended up chasing Yao to a bathroom all the way across campus.

"Hey! I am sorry! I was not making fun of you, I did not mean for all of them to be laughing at you, I honestly—"

"You actually thought I was a girl? Thanks, makes me feel _so_ much better, screw off."

"No! I...honestly thought you were cute...and I knew you were a boy..."

"Oh! I'm sorry for snapping at you, then." Yao apologized, realizing he must have sounded like a complete ass and sighing.

"It is no big deal, Jao; I am sure I would be mad too if I had to deal with that..."

"Every day pretty much, yeah...wait, Jao?" The smaller boy smiled a little at Ivan's accent.

"I...ah...I guess my accent must sound stupid to everyone, da?" Ivan scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"Oh I don't think so; I know plenty of girls think it's sexy." Yao laughed a little.

"Good to know I guess, not that I am very interested in what girls are finding sexy..."

"I got that, and uh, Ivan...one other thing," Yao looked up at the Russian, "Thank you."

"Wait Jao, I do not understand, why would you be thanking me?"

"Well for one thing, if I remember correctly this all started with you complimenting me. But more importantly, for coming here to tell me and apologize; most people would have just left me alone. Plus you didn't even know if I would tell everyone or what...it was really sweet of you."

"O-oh! Heh, you are not going to tell anyone though, da?" Ivan smiled sheepishly.

"Of course not!" Yao smiled broadly, and planted a kiss on Ivan's cheek, "See you around!" He waved over his shoulder before leaving the bathroom.

**A/N: This is intended to be the first chapter of a longer story, but I'm not going to give any set update schedule because I have no idea what I'm doing? Probably not going to write more unless some people express interest so please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I had to continue this, I mean when my current favorite author reviewed and followed it, I really had no choice.**

It sucks when you come back to school after being out sick, and you see everyone working on an assignment you don't know about. Well in that situation you at least know your classmates and teacher already.

Feeling rather lost, Ivan walked up to the desk of his new art teacher.

"Excuse me?" The teacher, a tall, slender woman who looked to have been in her late twenties, looked up at Ivan.

"Oh! You must be that new student, Mr..." she looked back at her roster, "Braginsky?" The tall boy nodded, "Well, I'm afraid you haven't come into my class at the best time; we've been working on this project for most of this month, and it's due on Friday. I figure you've had enough things thrown at you today, so I'll just excuse you from the project and you can use this week to catch up on all that other stuff, how's that sound?"

"Yes, thank you so much! That is very nice of you...um, where should I sit?" The Russian boy asked, looking around.

"Anywhere is fine; we have open seating in this class unless I have to move someone." The teacher nodded, and Ivan looked around; he preferred to sit near the back, so he took an empty seat there. The tables were big enough for four people to sit at, but the only person at that particular table was a quiet looking boy with longish blond hair and glasses. He looked very focussed on his project, so Ivan just took out his math textbook and tried to work.

It seemed that most of the students in the art class were finding it hard to focus right after lunch, and Ivan was no exception to that. He ended up staring at the ceiling; it was probably the most interesting ceiling in the whole school, with paint splattered up there and a large color wheel hung in the middle. However, Ivan wasn't actually paying much mind to the colorful ceiling. No, his mind was on the events that had taken place at lunch, and particularly in the bathroom.

Yao seemed so nice, not to mention Ivan found him _very_ attractive, but the main thing on the Russian's mind was that _kiss._ It was obviously a thank you...or a see you later, but how much did a kiss on the cheek even mean in this new country? It probably depended on the circumstances...he could ask someone, but who? He didn't have friends yet, besides, how was he supposed to ask someone what it meant if he'd been kissed on the cheek by a guy who knew he was gay...in a bathroom? Ivan sighed, he wished Yao was in at least one of his classes, but he probably wasn't even a sophomore. The violet eyed boy was interrupted from his thoughts by a quiet voice.

"Hey, you're Ivan, right?" It was the shy looking boy, who, Ivan noticed upon getting a better look at him, had violet eyes too. The taller nodded.

"W-well I'm Matthew...it's nice to meet you Ivan..." Matthew gave a shy smile, "I don't suppose you'll remember me by tomorrow, something about me makes people forget I guess."

"I will try not to forget, Matthew." Ivan smiled at the shy boy.

**A/N: So there's that, Ivan's made a friend~ I'm so proud ;u; Um anyway, I still have no idea when I'll be updating this, I hate to give a time because honestly if I have a deadline, I'll be late anyway. Heh funny story, I had art class in 6****th**** and 8****th**** grade...both times I transferred into the class about a month in. Yeah no one cares, reviews make me happy! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm sorry the wait for this has been so long, but I'm a terrible procrastinator, plus school's started up again DX Hopefully this longer chapter at least partially makes up for the wait, and I hope to get the next one out faster but again I'm making no promises with school and me not really knowing how this story's going to go, plus starting highschool this year means I've got even more homework DX Learning is wonderful, homework is not. **

"So Matthew, what class do you have next?" Ivan asked as he and his new friend left the art room.

"Oh me? I have History..." Matt replied, "you?"

"I have History too, who is your teacher?"

"Jonhston."

"Me too!" Ivan smiled and followed Matthew to their History class. As they kept walking, Matt remembered something he'd been meaning to tell Ivan earlier.

"You know, Yao told me about what happened at lunch, and that was really nice of you." Ivan was worried, had Yao lied about not repeating what happened in the bathroom?

"He told you?" Ivan asked, and Matthew nodded.

"When he came back we asked what happened, and he told us you apologized...it was really nice of you, people mistake Yao for a girl all the time but they're not usually nice about it." Ivan was relieved, he smiled a bit.

"So you are friends with Yao?" Ivan asked, hoping this could be an opportunity to get closer to the lovely boy.

"Mhm, and uh, Alfred Arthur and Francis all hang out with us too; dunno if you've met them..."

"I think Arthur is in my math class..." Ivan tried to picture Matt's friend in his mind.

"On the shorter side, blond, has a bit of a British accent..." Matthew listed.

"Big bushy eyebrows?" The Russian asked.

"Like caterpillars!" Matthew laughed and Ivan joined him.

"So what about the other two? Alfred and..." he tried to remember the other name.

"Francis? They're not in our grade. Al's a freshie, he's my step brother; then Francis is a junior."

"And Yao?" Ivan asked, trying not to show how interested he was in the Asian boy.

"He's a junior too." At hearing this Ivan was a little disappointed, it would have been better if they were in the same grade. Hopefully the fact that he hung out with underclassmen boded well for him. As much as Ivan wanted to date Yao, he would really like to just be friends with him too.

After class Matthew introduced Ivan to his friends.

"...and this is Francis, and you already met Yao." Yao gave Ivan a knowing look when Matt said that, but Ivan didn't know what the look was supposed to mean.

"So dude, are you like a communist?" Asked Alfred, the youngest and loudest of the group, earning him a smack upside the head from Arthur.

"That's offensive, you git!" He scolded, but Ivan just chuckled.

"Nyet, Russia is not a communist country anymore."

"Whatever dude, sorry…so you wanna hang with us today? You've probably got like no friends, right?" Alfred laughed; his laugh was loud and over the top.

"Aiya Alfred don't be so insensitive, aru!" This time it was Yao playing Al's mother. He turned to Ivan, his voice warm again. "But you are welcome to hang out with us, Yiwan."

"I would like that, thank you." Ivan smiled, and his heart fluttered, "you say my name very cutely…" Ivan remarked. The others gave him a strange look, except Yao, who just thanked him. "I guess cute was not how I meant to say that…my English is not very good…" he explained, although cute _was_ actually the word he meant to use.

The four of them ended up walking to a little diner; it wasn't a place Ivan thought kids would normally hang out after school, but Alfred had insisted that they had the best burgers around. Besides that, though, Ivan quickly realized that they weren't exactly a normal group of kids, either. As it turned out, Alfred was the only one in their group who had been born in the United States, but they had all been living in the small city since at least their seventh grade year. Although the Russian couldn't remember where everyone was from, or when they had moved from their home countries, he knew that Yao Wang had moved with his mother and stepfather the summer before he started sixth grade, and he was still fluent in Chinese. Even though he knew he wouldn't understand a word of it, Ivan now longed to hear Yao speak in his native tongue; he loved Yao's accent, even when he spoke English, but he also knew very well how much better words felt in your mouth when they were in your first language.

"Well shit guys, I've got a buttload of homework, I'm gonna go." Alfred's booming voice cut through Ivan's daydreams, but the Russian realized that perhaps it was a good thing, since he'd been staring off into space for a good five minutes now.

"Yes, Alfred, I think we've all got homework to do. But you're right, it is getting late." Arthur stood and joined Alfred, "Ivan where do you live?"

"Huh? Oh, um, up the hill from here I think, Redwood street…" Ivan realized that he wasn't entirely sure how to get back home, and hoped one of the others lived near him.

"Ah, well Alfred, Matthew and I live down the hill from here, so we'll see you tomorrow." Arthur nodded and the three headed out the door.

"Aiya! Shit! I am supposed to meet Kiku at the library in five minutes, aru! Bye!" Yao threw his bag over his shoulder and ran out the door, leaving just Ivan and Francis.

"So you live Redwood street, right?" Francis asked, picking up his satchel and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Da, Redwood..."

"Great! I live on Spruce, we can walk together." Ivan nodded and smiled with relief, glad that he wouldn't have to go wandering trying to find his street. The two started walking up the hill, silent until they crossed Ivy street and Francis finally spoke.

"So why did you move here?" He asked, looking up at the younger boy.

"My family lost a lot of money about two months ago, and we just could not make it. So we moved here where my parents can work for my uncle and he can help us get by." Ivan explained as if it was nothing.

"Oh? You talk about this so casually, it seems like it would be a big deal, moving halfway across the world…" Francis pointed out, realizing that something was a little off about that.

"Well in almost every way it is better living here. People talk about that, you know, moving to America for opportunities, and I am glad to have a fresh start here."

"But you must have left your friends behind, and it must be hard starting school here a month late." Did Ivan not miss his friends?

"Well, school is hard, but about friends…I did not really have any. I made a bad reputation for myself starting in elementary school, and I regretted that by the time I was in eighth grade, but it was too late to get rid of it." Ivan sighed, but a smile broke out on his face when he thought about it more, "And just look, I already made friends." Unsure of how to respond, Francis just smiled, and the two walked in silence until they had just crossed Maple street.

"You know, normally Yao would walk with us if he did not have to go to the library," the elder pointed up ahead, "he lives on Nutmeg." Surprised, Ivan smiled.

"He would? That is great!" Ivan was a little nervous that he'd sounded too excited about that. Francis chuckled, then got quiet for a few seconds, thinking.

"You know Ivan, if you ever need romantic advice, I am the person to come to." When Francis said this, Ivan looked over at him, confused.

"That was sort of random, what made you-" Francis interrupted before Ivan had even gotten the chance to ask.

"Because I have seen how you are looking at Yao," he chuckled again, "I recognize l'amour when I see it." At first the Russian was about to get defensive, but he realized that Francis seemed to really want to help him.

"I…da, I guess I…have got a crush on Yao," Ivan admitted, "he knows it too; that is what I told him at lunch, that I actually thought he was cute…not as a girl…" Ivan explained the story more, although he left out the kiss, not sure if Yao would want anyone to know about that.

"And I take it you are interested in more than his looks now, yes?" at this Ivan nodded.

"He seems to be very sweet…" he admitted, although he didn't think that word really summed up Yao's personality, or what Ivan liked about it.

"Then go for it! Next chance you get ask him on a date. No relationship will ever happen if you do not show that you want it to." Francis patted Ivan on the back, "If he already knows, then you really have nothing to lose."

"Nothing to lose…" Ivan paused to think about that for a second, "that makes sense." He smiled once again, "Thank you Francis, you are a good friend." The taller boy waved to his new friend and turned down his street, his heart beating fast as he began to anticipate tomorrow.

**A/N: Did that suck? I have a feeling it did, but then I pretty much think anything I write sucks, so your reviews will me my only way of knowing! I appreciate all of your feedback ;u; **


	4. Chapter 4

Ivan walked into school the next day and saw that the walls had been plastered with posters announcing that homecoming was in less than four weeks. That was perfect, he could ask Yao to homecoming, and maybe it wouldn't be as weird as just asking him out. Every day Ivan and Yao became better friends, but every day the Russian waited for an opportunity to ask his friend to the dance.

A whole week passed, and once again it was Tuesday. Ivan, Francis, and Yao walked home together as usual. As they came to Nutmeg street, Yao turned to leave the small group.

"Well, bye guys, see you tomorrow!" Yao waved to the other two.

"Bye!"

"Bye, Yao!" Ivan waved back, and sighed as they kept walking.

Francis put an arm over his shoulder.

"You need to stop acting like a lovesick puppy, and just ask him already! Homecoming is in like two and a half weeks, you need to make your move." The Frenchman advised; he'd been telling Ivan the same thing every day, and Ivan always had the same answer.

"I told you, I am waiting for a right moment." He sighed again, hoping that moment would present itself soon.

Francis decided to take matters into his own hands, and create that moment for Ivan—if he was going to play matchmaker, he wasn't going to do a half-assed job of it. The next day when they headed back up the hill from the diner, Francis put his plan into action.

"So, are you both going to homecoming?" He offered, hoping this would steer the conversation in the right direction.

"Yeah, just going with the guys though," Yao answered, "Unless someone asks me, but it seems like they would have done it already. What about you? Going with Joan?" He looked over at Francis.

"Why of course~ In fact, I think I'll go surprise her right now with that poem I wrote!" Francis did want to dote on his girlfriend, but more than that he was walking to her house just to let Ivan and Yao alone.

"All of us, well except Francis, will probably go to homecoming together, you think you'll come?" Yao asked the taller boy.

"I was actually thinking of asking someone..." Ivan admitted, "he already knows I like him..."

"Aww! You already like someone? Well then don't waste so much time, go get 'em!" Yao nudged his friend; he remembered that Ivan was gay...he just didn't realize what he was hinting at.

"Yes, already...well, since the first day I was here actually..." the Russian looked at his companion, hoping that would be enough of a hint. "I guess I am not too good at hinting like that, because what I mean is...Yao will you go to homecoming with me?"

"Wait...me?" At first Yao was surprised, but then it hit him—Ivan's first day, calling him cute and looking at him that way—of course that's what he was trying to hint at.

"Ivan I can't...I'm not...if we...people...people will talk. You're really sweet, but look how people talk to me just because I'm short and skinny and I have long hair; imagine what they'd do if I went to homecoming with a guy. And you, you're the new kid; they're looking for a reason to love you or a reason to hate you."

"Oh..." Ivan looked at the ground, defeated. But as he took a few seconds to think about what Yao had said, he realized that not only was he right, it wasn't so much of a rejection as just protecting both of them.

"I guess we'll just go with Arthur and them then, da?" Ivan asked, looking back up at Yao.

"Da." The Chinese boy chuckled, and Ivan joined in. He gave Yao a hug as they came to Nutmeg street and parted ways.

**A/N: Ahhhh I'm so sorry this took forever! I hope you like it, although I somehow doubt that it's any good. Reviews are always appreciated, of course! I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner but honestly it may very well not be until around Beethoven Day. (If you don't know when that it—look it up!)**


	5. Chapter 5

_Bzzzt_

Ivan's phone went off and he reached into his pocket to see who the text was from; whoever it was, he was glad for the distraction from his homework—even if throwing himself into his work had originally been to distract himself from feeling sad and rejected. The text was from Francis, who predictably wanted to know how Ivan asking Yao out had gone.

"Did he say yes?" Francis had waited an hour from when he got to Joan's house to send that text, and he was dying for the answer.

"no" Ivan sighed; hopefully Francis would have some advice, or at least comfort.

"Tell me everything! You can call me if thats easier." Francis had been certain Yao returned Ivan's affections, but even monsieur matchmaker was wrong sometimes.

"no ill just text it. i asked him and he said i was sweet but people would give us shit if we went to the dance together basically" Putting it that way made it seem like no big deal, which maybe it was, Ivan thought.

"Oh! Then you definitely still have a shot! Do you have any idea if he feels the same way~?" Francis smirked to himself; maybe they weren't together yet, but he could still be right.

"no" Great, now Francis had gotten him curious.

"You should find out~ ;)" Oh yes, he was going to set them up one way or another.

"i guess" How was he supposed to go about asking something like that?

"I'll go to the library tomorrow so you two can walk home alone ;)" Francis Bonnefoy, master of all matters of the heart.

"thanks" Ivan was only being halfway sincere with that thank you; things were more than likely to be awkward between Yao and he now.

The next day came, and Yao seemed unaffected by what happened on that walk home. Maybe he just didn't want to draw attention to the matter, Ivan thought. But even when Francis left for the library and the two of them were, as promised, alone, the small boy didn't seem to find the situation awkward.

"Guess it's just us then." Said the Asian as he started walking up the hill.

"Da, I guess so," Ivan debated whether he should ask Yao about his feelings or not...screw it, he wasn't going to chicken out now, "hey I was wondering, if circumstances were different, would you go to homecoming with me? If we would not be made fun of?"

"Oh," Yao was a little surprised, and he wasn't sure what to think of the question, "I don't know, maybe...I guess if being gay wasn't such a big deal I might think about the whole situation differently, you know?" Yao didn't want to think about Ivan as anything other than a friend.

"I think so." Ivan nodded; that was incredibly cryptic, but maybe a little bit of hope for him...maybe. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking quietly.

**A/N: I suck, I know, oh my god I've been really blocked with this story, it might end up going unfinished. So sorry...  
**


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